Change STEM education to benefit women: NASA official

Changing the way science and mathematics are taught could help increase the number of women employed in the aerospace industry, according to a senior adviser with the United States space agency, NASA.

NASA Deputy Chief Scientist Gale Allen said studies show that traditional methods of teaching the STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) do not take into consideration how women learn.

Ms Allen participated in a networking breakfast for women in the space industry worldwide that took place in Dubai on Monday.

It was held in connection with this week’s High Level Forum on the link between space and sustainable development organized by the UN Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) and the United Arab Emirates.

Dianne Penn asked Ms Allen for a snapshot of women's involvement in the US aerospace industry.